Shadow's Collection of Warriors One-Shots
by Forbidden Shadows
Summary: Collection of One-Shots that tells the tales of Warriors in different situations. Summary of latest one-shot: Ever since she discovered the truth of her birth, Spottedheart had withdrawn within herself and vowed that no one would touch her heart again. But one tom wouldn't leave her alone and let the past be forgotten.
1. Dreadful Cough (Minnowclaw, Tragedy)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: ThunderClan is plagued by a disease that has never been seen before. Minnowclaw, ThunderClan's medicine cat, is doing all he can to help his clan, but will ThunderClan ever break free of the plague's hold?

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

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**Dreadful Cough**

The stars sparkled for its last time before vanishing into the slowly brightening sky. Pale streaks of pink, purple, and orange appeared on the horizon. The wind was warm and calm, promising fair weather for the day to come. I was sitting outside of my medicine den, watching the dawn's colorful approach back into the world. Dawn had always been my favorite time of the day. It signaled a start of a new day and a new beginning. That was back when all was peaceful and carefree among the forest clans.

Now, however, instead of joy and happiness, the tainted dawn relinquishes yet another nightmare to live through, another cruel fate to be delivered. The plague of the Rainbow Cough was destroying the only world I knew, the only reason I had to live. But the scariest part of all was that, as a medicine cat, I am the last line of defense for ThunderClan.

"Minnowclaw!" My ears pricked forward as I heard my name being called in a desperate wail. It was coming from the nursery. I sighed and retreated to the back of my medicine den to retrieve the herbs that were going to be required. Then, as quickly as my frail and old white legs could carry me, I rushed towards the nursery to ease the pain.

"Thank StarClan you're here," the golden brown tabby queen spoke. "Brackenkit has started coughing!" I looked down at the tiny pale kit sprawled on the moss bedding. His eyes were closed shut and breathing heavily. I bent down to sniff the kit and determine whether or not it was the dreaded rainbow cough. At that moment, however, the kit was racked by another series of coughs, and along with the cough, he spat out mucus, tinted with multiple colors. So, rainbow cough have laid its claim on this kit.

"I'm sorry, Goldenpelt, it seems that Brackenkit has contracted rainbow cough," I mewed to the queen, who was staring anxiously at the kit. "I had hoped it would have been something less... severe."

"There must be something that you can do!" wailed Goldenpelt. "You can't let him go! His life has just started!" Queens were always overprotective of their kits, but in this situation, Goldenpelt was right to fear for this kit's life. We had already lost several warriors to the plague.

"I'll do all that I can for him, Goldenpelt, but I'm not sure if it'll be enough. His fate is in StarClan's paws now," I told her sadly. Since it had been first discovered a moon ago, I have tried all the herbs that I knew of to cure this cough, but to no avail. After that, I went to the Moonstone to see if StarClan knew how to treat this disease, but it was the first time they have known of its existence. I was, entirely, on my own.

"That's all I can ask for, Minnowclaw. Thank you," Goldenpelt said and moved towards her kit. I smiled weakly at the queen and went over to where I had put my herbs down. I sorted through them until I found the tansy I was looking for. It had worked the best, even better than catmint, in the past to ease the cough and the pain. I chewed some up a small portion and gave it to the kit.

"Let me know when he starts coughing again," I said.

"Will do, Minnowclaw," Goldenpelt answered, mechanically. I picked up the rest of my herbs and walked through the clearing, pausing to take in the sight. Normally, there would have been warriors milling around, getting ready for the day's hunting and patrolling. Now, however, there were only one or two warriors preparing for the day's hunt. Border patrols were sent out once a day now, due to the lack of warriors.

I sighed and adjusted my route to make my morning rounds throughout the camp. I stopped by the warrior's den first, hoping, as always, that the remaining warriors hadn't contracted the plague. I poked my head in when I arrived and tasted the air. There were two sleeping warriors remaining in the den and both did not have the scent of disease on them. I continued my rounds through the elder's den and the leader's den and was glad to find that both dens were plague free. Thank StarClan!

My paws carried me towards the medicine den. Once there, I placed the herbs I had taken out back in their storage areas and moved to wake Nightpaw, my apprentice, up. "Nightpaw!" The apprentice shifted in position, but didn't wake. She had always been a heavy sleeper. I prodded her side more violently and, this time, she jerked awake.

"What's going on?!" she shouted, instantly alert. I chuckled at her response.

"I need you to go in the forest and look for some more tansy. You remember what they look like, don't you?" I questioned. She nodded.

"Of course. Those were the first things you showed me when I became your apprentice," Nightpaw replied, indignantly. "I'll get right to it." She turned and trotted out the den.

"Make sure you bring a warrior with you!" I shouted after her. She flicked her tail in response, signaling that she had heard. Sorting through the remaining herbs I had, I made mental notes of which other ones were low in supplies.

It was at that moment, I felt uncomfortable. My head spun uncontrollably, making me dizzy. My chest felt clogged, making it hard to breathe. I slumped down onto the ground and closed my eyes, waiting for the nausea to fade and breathing in and out slowly. When I opened them again, the world stayed still. I looked towards the entrance of my den and was surprised to see that it was late evening already. I guess I had drifted off to sleep...

I ventured out of my den and towards the gorse tunnel that lead out of the camp. I sat by the tunnel for a while, breathing in the fresh air around me. Suddenly, I heard pawsteps behind me. I turned around to see a sleek black tom approaching me. "Hello, Blackfur," I greeted.

"Greetings, Minnowclaw," he responded. "I trust that all is well? You were in your den for an unusually long time." He eyed me carefully. There were concern in his dark brown eyes.

"Of course," I replied. "I just fell asleep."

"You have been working extremely hard this past moon. I guess it finally tired you out," Blackfur mused. "I'm proud of you, you know. It's tough being a medicine cat in times like these." I nodded my thanks. "You doubt yourself, don't you?" Blackfur was ThunderClan's remaining elder, after the first wave of rainbow cough sent his den mate to StarClan, and he was also my dad, so I guess he could easily notice that something was off.

"Wouldn't you? I've watched so many cats die to this disease and I've been powerless to do anything but ease their pain," I whispered. "If I was a better medicine cat, I would have already found a cure by now." Blackfur's whiskers twitched.

"You've scoured the forest for new herbs and you've tried different combinations of known herbs to try and find the cure. There's nothing more that you could have done," Blackfur said with authority. I sighed. He wouldn't understand.

At that moment, my chest started to feel uncomfortable again, and this time, I started to cough. Blackfur stared at me, fear clouding his eyes. "You're sick! Why hadn't you said anything?"

"There was no point in worrying you," I said. "And even if I told you, could you have done anything about it? Anyways, it could just be a normal cold." Blackfur looked doubtful. At that moment, Nightpaw's scent drifted to me, and seconds later, she came to a halt in front of me with the tansy she had collected.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Blackfur announced and turned to walk back into camp. Nightpaw looked from me to Blackfur and back again.

"Is he sick?" Nightpaw asked, worried.

I shook my head. "He just wanted to talk." I said. "Anyways, thanks, Nightpaw. Go get something to eat and then get some rest." Nightpaw nodded and disappeared through the gorse tunnel. I picked up the tansy and followed her in. I went straight into the medicine cat's den and put the newly collected tansy away.

I was racked by another series of coughs and I panicked. What if I really had contracted rainbow cough? I couldn't die now. I hadn't finished Nightpaw's instruction and I hadn't found the cure to rainbow cough. My clan still needed me!

My head started to spin again and I sunk down on the ground. Another wave of coughs plagued me and sure enough, I was spitting out mucus tinted lightly with the colors of the rainbow. I tried desperately to cling on to life, but I was already starting to fade. The rainbow cough acted too fast on my frail body. There was no escaping its grasp. The last thing I smelled was the scent of tansy mixed in with the scent of Nightpaw.

_My dear ThunderClan, I have failed you._

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**A/N:** Hope you've enjoyed it! Please review if you've got time! =P


	2. Single Heartbeat (Sharpeyes, Family)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: After an accident, Sharpeyes, a ThunderClan warrior, vowed that he would not deviate from his goal again. Until he met her and his world spun out of his control.

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

**A/N**: Thank you for the reviews, Foxy and Ivy! I really appreciate it! =)

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**Single Heartbeat**

The future was always clear to me. Being raised in a loving Clan, I wanted to be the best warrior that I could so that my Clan would always feel protected and well fed. It was my one goal in life and I was blind to everything else, until I saw how happy my littermate was with his mate.

That was the first time I gave thought to another future, one in which I would be linked to another warrior. We would be happy together, sharing all aspects of our lives with each other, and raising our own kits to become integrated with Clan life. The more I thought about it, the more I started to like the idea and the more I started daydreaming about it.

It took a missing kit, who I was supposed to be watching over, that was later found dead for me to realize that I had slipped in my performance and duties as a warrior and I vowed that I would never contemplate that future ever again. It would destroy my reputation and conflict with my goal. And so, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and never thought about it again, until now...

As I was sitting and waiting for the Gathering to begin at Fourtrees, a young silver warrior came and sat down beside me. I could smell the rank odor of ShadowClan coming off of her, but mixed in was another sweet scent I couldn't identify. I opened my mouth to take in more, then abruptly closed it as I noticed the direction of my thoughts were heading back to those dangerous daydreams.

I tried to focus on the leaders who were starting the meeting, but my thoughts always swerved back to her. I racked my brain, trying to remember her name. I met her formally once before at the Gathering moons ago when she had first became a warrior.

"Silverwing, do you think you can stop fidgeting?" I heard a hiss nearby. I turned around to see that young warrior dipped her head in embarrassment. So, that was her name.

As the meeting progressed, I could feel her staring at me from time to time, but whenever I looked at her, she was listening intently to what the Clan leaders were saying. I sighed and shifted my position awkwardly. This Gathering seemed to last forever.

When Brightstar, leader of ShadowClan, finally jumped down from the rock, it signaled the end of the Gathering. I got up and stretched. It was time to go home and away from this she-cat, who was bringing back memories and feelings that I didn't want.

"You're Sharpeyes from ThunderClan, aren't you?" a soft musical voice sounded behind me. "I recognize that brown pelt of yours." I froze in my tracks. I turned around and came face to face with Silverwing. Her gaze held mine and I felt content to stare back.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied. "Did you want something?" I blinked and broke eye contact. She, in turn, stared down at her silver paws. I wondered what was going through her mind.

"It's just that I'd -" Silverwing began, but didn't get to finish.

"Sharpeyes! What are you waiting for?" I heard a gruff voice sound to my left. "It's time to go home!" I'd know that voice anywhere. I had grown up with hearing it everyday of my life. It belonged to ThunderClan's deputy, Whitetail.

"I'm coming, Whitetail," I shouted back. I looked at Silverwing and could see her eyes cloud, hurt. She still hadn't finish saying what she wanted, but I couldn't let Whitetail wait any longer.

"Meet me by the ShadowClan border tomorrow night," I told her on an impulse. "We'll finish talking then." She nodded and trotted off to rejoin her Clan. My eyes widened as it dawned on me what kind of invitation I was sending. Sighing, I went to join Whitetail and our patrol.

As we headed home, I couldn't stop thinking about my last words to Silverwing. What had I been thinking? I had thrown and discarded that future away moons ago and what's even worse is that she's not even in ThunderClan! I should have just left when Whitetail called out to me...

All throughout the next day, my mind kept drifting back to Silverwing. I couldn't concentrate on my border patrols and almost wandered too close to the Twoleg nests that were located on the border of our territory. Then, during my hunting patrols, I couldn't focus on my hunting techniques and let quite a few prey get away. Frustrated with my own loss of focus, I let out a low growl. I'll tell her that I don't want her in my life. That way, I'd stop thinking about her. Or perhaps, I should just not go to our secret meeting tonight.

But as the darkness came, I found myself pulled towards the ShadowClan border. If I had more self constraint, I would have stopped myself. But, as it were, I found my paws carrying me out of camp, up the ravine, and towards the Thunderpath that created the border between ShadowClan and ThunderClan territory.

"I wasn't sure you'd come," Silverwing's voice drifted to me. "But I'm glad you did. I'm Silverwing, by the way." She stepped out of the shadow of the bush she was hiding behind. Like that shrub could have hid her odor from the ThunderClan night patrol.

"I know," I replied and she gave me a weird look. "I was there couple moons ago, when Brightstar announced you as ShadowClan's new warrior." I added hastily. She must have thought I was weird. "What did you want to talk about?" I said, changing the subject, none too subtly.

"I just wanted to say that I'd like to know you a bit better," Silverwing said, shyly. I could detect the dreaminess in her tone. "I don't know why, but it seems like I'm drawn to you."

"Wow! That was direct," I responded. Her whiskers twitched at my statement. "So, I wasn't dreaming when I felt all those stares directed at me during the Gathering yesterday after all."

"I tried to not be all that obvious," she stated. "But I guess I should have known. You looked like you were uncomfortable sitting next to me after a while." I nodded. So was it now that I tell her that I don't return her feelings? I thought of my goal and I thought of the dead kit. Yep, now would be a good time. I don't want a mate.

I prepared myself and opened my mouth to tell her, but as I was about to begin, I saw her claws kneading the soft grass beneath her. "How about we be friends? For a little while at least, until we know each other better?" I proposed instead. Her eyes brightened and her body relaxed.

"Sounds like a good plan," she told me. And so, I spent the next several hours with her, sitting in the grass, talking about our own Clan life. Eventually, the sky started to brighten and I knew I had to get home before I was missed.

"I sure enjoyed myself tonight," I told her. She nodded in agreement.

"Let's meet again ten days from now," she told me. I blinked in surprise. When I told her we would be friends, I had meant only meeting during Gatherings if we both attended, but I guess she got a different meaning out of that. I held back a sigh.

"I'll see you then," I told her. She padded close to me, licked my ear, and darted across the Thunderpath and back into ShadowClan territory. I twitched my ears. She sure was direct. Well, I suppose I'll tell her during our next meeting. Then, I could get back to focusing on my duties.

But when the next meeting rolled around, I still didn't tell her. I hadn't got the courage to break her heart. So, I held it off. Next time, I told myself. We met every ten days from then on. Each time, I wanted to tell her she was wasting her time with me. Each time, I failed. Three moons passed in this fashion.

Then, right before I met her in another meeting, I noticed that she wasn't alone. There was another scent of a ShadowClan cat with her. I stiffened and peered around the edge, getting ready to fight.

"Calm down, Sharpeyes," Silverwing's voice told me. She was sitting in her usual spot. "I want you to meet someone." I twitched my whiskers in response.

"I'm not interested in meeting anyone, Silverwing," I started. "I should have..."

She stood up and flicked her tail across my muzzle. "You'll want to meet her. After all, she's your kit!"

"What?!" I shouted in shock. She pushed the tiny ball of fur towards me. I prodded the tiny kit and she stared at me with her deep green eyes, the replica of my own. Her gray fur was just a shade darker than her mother's. She was truly my kit.

My heart started racing and I felt dizzy and breathless. It was one of my daydreams come true, but also a nightmare. I didn't even want a mate, much less one that went against the Warrior Code! "She's beautiful." I purred.

"Her name's Leafkit," Silverwing informed me.

"Leafkit, quite fitting due to her eye color," I stated, as I nuzzled the little kit. "Who's going to take care of her?" But deep inside, I knew the answer. The kit would follow Silverwing home and be raised as a ShadowClan warrior. This meeting will be the last chance I get to see her up close.

"You are," Silverwing whispered and disappeared. I was stunned. Those two words, and the single new heartbeat in front of me, left my world spinning out of control.

_I had definitely not planned for this future._

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! Please drop off a review if you've got time. =)


	3. Loyalty's Edge (Sharpclaw, Crime)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: Set during SkyClan's Destiny. The daylight warriors are creating a rift between Leafstar and her warriors. After Leafstar rejects his advice several times, Sharpclaw, SkyClan's deputy, decides to take things into his own paws and tries to resolve this problem on his own.

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thanks for the reviews, Foxy and Gone. It's greatly appreciated! ^^

Thanks to Sunsetfire for catching grammar errors! =)

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**Loyalty's Edge**

Loyalty. Was there any in this young Clan? Are there ties strong enough to hold us together? Right after the battle with the rats, when Firestar was still here, we never felt closer to each other and bonded by the horrors that we have faced. Had Leafstar forgotten that or is she just too stubborn to realize the rift she is creating between herself and the rest of her warriors?

Ever since she let the daylight warriors join the Clan and partake in our activities, the rest of the Clan has expressed discontent at the decision. I also strongly oppose their presence in the Clan. I don't mind that they are kittypets. Most of us here were once kittypets anyways. But it's the fact that run home to their Twolegs at night, so that they can sleep comfortably and safely with a full belly. If all of us did that, there would be no SkyClan. So why do they get the same respect as the rest of us from Leafstar? Aren't we more loyal?

I sighed, breaking out of my reverie. There was no point in thinking about that anymore. How many times had I brought that up with Leafstar already? She doesn't even consider my opinion on the matter and, after each rejection, I have only become angrier and angrier. So instead of talking to her about this subject again, I have decided to act upon it. I have some power within this Clan as deputy, so I can do my best to exclude these kitty warriors from participating in the more important duties.

"Sharpclaw!" I pricked my ears towards the voice that called me. I know very clearly who it was that was calling me. It was one of the daylight warriors. "Can I go on the next border patrol today? I want to help set the scent markers." I looked in the direction of the sound and came face to face with white tom. Harveymoon.

"I have already set the border patrols for today, and since I wasn't sure if you were going to show up today, I didn't include you in one," I stated, smirking. I saw something flash through Harveymoon's eyes.

"That was definitely not my fault!" Harveymoon yowled angrily at me. "Twolegs can be so unpredictable sometimes!"

"It is your fault! If you had stayed with us, then you wouldn't have been locked in by your Twoleg!" I hissed back. "You are the one who chose to live with a paw in two worlds! You can't expect to get the same privileges as the ones that live here, even at night."

"Leafstar treats us all the same," Harveymoon retorted. "She made us warriors as well, so we're entitled to do anything you guys do!"

"And can't you see the rift being created by the daylight warriors' presence here, even with Leafstar's approval?" I spat at him, out of patience now. "Now, if you still want something to do, get Macgyver and you two can clean out the caves on the level below the warrior's den! I'll arrange something else for you to do tomorrow." Grumbling, Harveymoon padded off in the direction where Macgyver was talking to Cherrytail. I watched as the two of them padded down to the second level.

I looked up at the sky and determined, by the sun's position, that it was mid-afternoon. The previous patrol should be coming back now. And sure enough, I scented Leafstar's arrival. The rest of the patrol disbanded. Some of them went to get fresh kill, while others sought their apprentice out to continue the apprentice's instruction.

"Everything quiet here, Sharpclaw?" Leafstar asked me. "Nothing out of the ordinary out there, though there is a pile of Twoleg trash near the Twoleg nests that might cause problems in the future. We need to keep tabs on that, so make sure the other warriors know about it before they leave on patrols."

"Will do and no problems here, Leafstar," I mewed back at her. There was no need for me to relate to her what happened with Harveymoon. After all, Clan mates fight with each other, don't they? "I sent Harveymoon and Macgyver to clean out the cave dens that can be used as storage when leaf bare arrives." Leafstar narrowed her eyes at my words. She was probably furious that I sent two daylight warriors to clean the cave out instead of adding one of real warriors with them. It was clearly making a statement.

"Alright, Sharpclaw," Leafstar replied to my news. "Next time, send a combination of warriors and daylight warriors to do those kind of tasks. We don't need to start a fight with them." And with that, she padded off to her den.

Her last words filled my heart with hatred. Why does she favor those daylight warriors so? The rest of us gave up our worlds and came to form SkyClan. They cannot live in two so vastly different worlds. They need to choose one, whether with their Twolegs or with SkyClan, and stick with it.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't realize another warrior came up behind me until she put her tail around my shoulder. "Don't be so angry all the time over those daylight warriors," she said to me. "It's not worth it. I hate them too, but there's nothing that can be done about it as long as they keep coming back."

As long as they keep coming back. The words echoed around in my mind. Now, there's an idea. "Thanks, Cherrytail." I purred. I now had a plan that could allow me to get rid of the daylight warriors. The only problem was that I wasn't sure I could do it.

"For what?" Cherrytail asked me. "I didn't even do anything."

"For calming me down," I replied, half lying. She did calm me down a little, but I still felt on edge. I couldn't tell her what I was planning, but I'm sure she will be pleased when the daylight warriors don't come back. I sat with her for a while, enjoying her company. Not a moment too soon Leafstar appeared out of her den. "I gotta go check on Harveymoon and Macgyver, Cherrytail. Thanks for the company."

"Anytime, Sharpclaw," she purred. I got up and padded towards Leafstar and together we made our way to the caves that Harveymoon and Macgyver was assigned to. However, as we neared, we could hear scuffling and laughter coming from the den. I glanced at Leafstar with a superior look and Leafstar sighed.

When we entered the cave, we saw Harveymoon and Macgyver play fighting with each other. Both of them were dusty from rolling around on the floor and they had cobwebs stuck to their fur in a couple of places. "What do you think you two are doing?" I asked with irritation. "I sent you two down here to clean the cave, not to play fight like little kits!" At the sound of my voice, the two daylight warriors broke apart, startled. They quickly picked themselves up and looked at us.

"We cleaned for a little bit," Macgyver replied. "But then we got bored."

"Why do we need to clean this place up anyways? It's not like you guys ever use them!" Harveymoon said. "You just want us to clean it so that we get excluded from the patrols!" His anger was rising and so was mine.

"Harveymoon!" Leafstar shouted. "That is not how you talk to the deputy! Besides, we need this area to be cleaned in the coming moons as leaf bare descends upon us." Harveymoon stared at Leafstar in horror.

"I- I thought... Sharpclaw was just excluding us from patrols after he and I argued for a little bit," Harveymoon stammered. "Thought it was just a meaningless task." Macgyver nodded in support.

"What?! I thought you said all was quiet here?" Leafstar whirled on me. I glared at Harveymoon.

"Warriors fight among themselves sometimes too. Harveymoon was just disappointed that he couldn't go on border patrol," I said, defensively, trying to keep the anger and hatred I was feeling out of my voice.

"I think this argument's roots are deeper than that. We'll discuss this later, Sharpclaw," Leafstar replied. "As for you two, the next time the deputy asks you to do something, do it. There's always a meaningful purpose behind the work we give out to warriors."

Harveymoon and Macgyver both bowed their heads and said in unison, "Yes, Leafstar. It won't happen again."

"You two are banished from SkyClan for a moon. Hopefully during that time, you can figure out where your loyalties lie. With SkyClan as a whole or just with yourselves," Leafstar continued. I was surprised that she was actually punishing them for not cleaning up the cave, but was pleased. It made my plan much easier.

Harveymoon and Macgyver padded out of the cave with their tails down and ears flattened. "Assign a couple warriors and apprentices to finish up here tomorrow," Leafstar said to me. I watched her leave. The confrontation seemed to have drained her. I padded out of the cave. It was getting dark now, so all the daylight warrior were finishing up what they were doing and preparing to head back to their Twolegs now.

I let the darkness surround me as I tasted the air for Harveymoon's scent. He and Macgyver should be going back to their Twolegs early since they were banished. It was the perfect time to carry out my plan. I followed his scent trail out of camp and towards the Twoleg nests. When I caught sight of him, he was alone. Macgyver must not live close to him. I was glad. There wouldn't be any witnesses.

I slowly stalked up to him and using the skills that I have learned, I jumped onto his back and held on. He let out a surprised yowl and quickly rolled onto his back. The wind got knocked out of me, but I quickly got to my feet.

"Sharpclaw?" Harveymoon said as he looked at me. "What are you doing way out here?"

"Making sure you guys leave SkyClan territory," I replied, smoothly. "You are still on our territory."

"That doesn't mean you need to attack me," Harveymoon spat. "The border's up ahead anyways."

"I know," I said as I leapt at him again. I bowled him over easily and pinned him down to the ground. "But daylight warriors don't belong to SkyClan. I need a way to scare off the others and you were an easy target." I hissed as I unsheathed my claws and brought it down on his throat. I watched as his life flowed out of his body.

Luckily for me, the dog in the Twoleg nest we were next to started to bark and growl at the scent of blood. This was just too easy. I laid Harveymoon's body just outside of the fence and ran back to camp.

"Dog attack!" I screeched. "I went to make sure that Harveymoon and Macgyver really went home after Leafstar banished them earlier and saw a dog pawing Harveymoon. I tried to get him out, but he was already dead when I arrived."

The remaining daylight warriors looked at each other uneasily and started conversing with each other quitely. Leafstar stared at me in horror, but commanded, "Sharpclaw, Cherrytail, and Sparrowpelt, come with me to investigate."

"Leafstar, I think the daylight warriors have a few things to discuss about the situation. Perhaps, we won't be here tomorrow," Ebonyclaw stated. I smiled inwardly, I had completed what I set out to do.

Now they knew they weren't safe here as a part of SkyClan.

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**A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this twist of events! Please tell me what you think! ^^


	4. Crushed Jealousy (Russetfoot, Crime)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: After the tom that she loves become mates with her sister, Russetfoot became angry and jealous. But when she's given their son as an apprentice, what will she do and how will she cope?

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thanks for the reviews, Foxy, Gone, and Sunsetfire! It makes me more eager to write. ^^

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**Crushed Jealousy**

Emotions can be powerful and I had experienced many different emotions. Happiness when my mother gave birth to another litter, depression when I had lost my father to StarClan, annoyance at RiverClan for never leaving Sunningrocks in our possession, battle lust and hatred when fighting ShadowClan as they attacked our camp, and, of course, love and loyalty to my beloved ThunderClan just to name a few. But the current one that I am feeling was new and I couldn't quite pinpoint it, though I felt like the situation was somehow familiar.

"Russetfoot, why are you daydreaming like an elder?!" a voice hissed very close to my ear. I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the cat who spoke. I was on hunting patrol yet again in this harsh leaf bare weather and we were hunting in pairs, so that if we did spot a prey, we would be more likely to still catch it if one of us miscalculated our pounce or accidentally stepped on a twig.

"Sorry, Snaketail," I apologized, looking embarrassed. "It won't happen again." I shook my head to clear away the weird emotion that was still festering inside me and focused my mind on the task ahead by scenting and listening for prey in the surrounding area. There were no sounds except for the howling wind as it traveled through the canopy of ThunderClan's forest.

We continued scouring the area for prey and, as sunset approached, we were able to catch a measly mouse and a thin blackbird. We padded back to camp silently with the prey clamped in our jaws. I tried to block out the smell of my blackbird, but it was impossible when my stomach was rumbling so much from the lack of food.

I padded through the gorse tunnel and into camp to deposit my fresh kill at the tiny fresh kill pile. I guess I won't be eating tonight again. This leaf bare is the worst one I've encountered as far as I could remember.

As I turned and headed towards the warriors den, I caught sight of my sister, Rowanpelt sharing tongues with the handsome brown tom, Ravenstorm. Bumblepaw, their dark brown tabby son, was hanging around too. He was trying to show Ravenstorm the new move that he learned.

As I watched them together, I felt that feeling stir within me once again. I was angry and envious at the same time. When we were kits, my sister and I both thought that Ravenpaw was attractive, but we have always thought that by the time we reached the status of a warrior, Ravenstorm would have found a mate by then.

However, that was not the case. Ravenstorm would always find time to talk to my sister when she was an apprentice. And once she became a warrior, the two were inseparable. That's when the feelings started. I tried my best to ignore it and avoided them when possible. When I got Bumblepaw as my apprentice, I was surprised at Runningstar's choice. Couldn't he see that I avoided his parents at all costs?

To make things worse, Bumblepaw looked exactly like Ravenstorm. I tried to ignore that fact and carried on with the apprentice's training. I had an apprentice before so I knew what to expect. Bumblepaw was just as eager as my last apprentice to learn everything about hunting. When it comes to fighting, however, he was always clumsy and less focused. I was a bit harsh on him a couple of times for some minor mistakes, but it didn't occur that often.

"Daydreaming again, Russetfoot?" Snaketail's voice drifted over to me. I blinked and looked at Snaketail.

"Kind of," I said, slightly embarrassed again at being caught daydreaming by him again.

"Sometimes, you need to let go and move on. Don't be jealous all the time," Snaketail told me. I looked questioningly at him for a better explanation for his statement. "Even a kit could tell that you are still in love with Ravenstorm." So, that's what I'm feeling. Jealousy.

"That's none of your business, Snaketail," I shouted at him. I stomped away from him towards the warrior's den, but Snaketail kept pace with me. I ignored him and I ignored the rest of the onlookers. I rearranged my moss bedding and curled up to sleep. Snaketail didn't say anything more.

Very early the next day, I was woken up by hunger pains. Sighing, I got up and stretched out my legs before heading to the opening of the den. The dawn patrol was just gathering with Snaketail in the lead. Upon seeing him, I remembered his advice and still felt annoyed that he had to intrude on my personal life.

I waited until the patrol left before padding towards Sandpool's medicine den. "What do you need, Russetfoot?" Sandpool called from towards the back of her den.

"I was just wondering if I could have a poppy seed," I asked her, politely.

"Hunger pains?" Sandpool asked. I nodded as I entered her den. She looked into her store and sliced a poppy seed in half and gave it to me. "My store is very low and limited, so I can't give you a full one. This leaf bare has been treacherous."

"Thanks, Sandpool. Maybe we'll find more prey today," I said. Feeling a little bit better, I strode across the clearing and approached the apprentice's den. There were three apprentices curled up together to keep warm. "Bumblepaw!" I called. The apprentice stirred a little bit, but didn't fully wake. I padded into the den and prodded him awake.

"Huh?" he said, rubbing his eyes. Then, the two dark brown eyes stared at me.

"Time for some battle training and then maybe we'll go hunting for a bit later on," I told him. The two of us padded side by side until we arrived at the training hollow. I then started to correct his fighting posture. He was always putting all of his weight on his paws, so he was slow at dodging attacks. Sometimes, he looked off balanced as well.

After the tenth failure at dodging my somewhat slow attacks, I grew a bit frustrated. "Distribute your weight to the rest of your body so that you can be light on your paws!" I shouted at him. "Again!" We continued on for several more minutes, but Bumblepaw still couldn't get it right still.

"Take a small break, but we're going to continue in a couple of minutes," I said. "You need to be able to get this correctly today. It is vital when it comes to a fight! We won't hunt until you do! Perhaps that'll motivate you a little more." Bumblepaw glared at me, but said nothing.

Out of nowhere, Ravenstorm charged up at us. "What do you think you are doing?!" he shouted at me. I blinked at him. "Can't you see he's tired and needs to eat?"

"It's leaf bare. We all need to eat," I retorted. "Plus, we're taking a little break before continuing."

"Well, you should be spending more time hunting for the Clan than taunting Bumblepaw!" Ravenstorm told me. "Our fresh kill pile is low and you're here telling him to correct his battle posture."

"It's part of training, Ravenstorm. Surely, you must know that," I shouted angrily back at him. Why was he questioning my motives? I'm trying to teach his son how to be able to defend himself that might save his life. "And now that it is leaf bare, we must prepare for any attacks from our neighboring Clans." He glared at me as my words sunk in. He knew I was right, but I could see that he was coming up with a retort.

"Don't threaten Bumblepaw ever again," Ravenstorm flicked his tail to tell his son to follow him. I watched them leave. When I arrived at camp a couple of minutes later, I saw Ravenstorm talking to Rowanpelt and Bumblepaw was curled up against his mother.

"Russetfoot, you will join my hunting patrol. Bring Bumblepaw with you," Runningstar called out to me. I nodded in acknowledgement. Of course, Ravenstorm heard it as well and both him and Rowanpelt glared at me. Anger and jealousy bubbled within me once again. I stormed off to where Runningstar was waiting for the rest of the warriors and apprentices to gather in his hunting patrol.

Once Bumblepaw joined, we padded out towards Snakerocks. We hadn't hunted around that area for some time and since today was a bit warmer, we were hoping that some prey would come out. We paired up and spread out around the surrounding area to look for prey. Naturally, since Bumblepaw was my apprentice, I got paired up with him, so that I could easily assess his hunting skills.

I couldn't concentrate on hunting due to still being angry at my fight with Ravenstorm and the glares that my sister was shooting at me back at camp. I couldn't believe that my sister would side with his irrational behavior!

As I was looking around for prey, I saw a somewhat large boulder. A plan was forming in my head. It could easily be seen as an accident and it would hurt Ravenstorm more than anything else would. I bounded up next to the boulder, sniffing around to make it seem like I was searching for prey.

Meanwhile, I was also looking around for Bumblepaw. He already had a mouse in his jaws and was walking proudly towards me. Keeping an eye on him, I continued to pretend to look for prey. Once he was close enough, I pushed the heavy boulder and it started to roll off the little ledge that it was sitting on. Before Bumblepaw realized what had just happened, the rock hit him and crushed him and his mouse.

"Bumblepaw!" I screeched, voice heavy with mock sadness, and ran towards his still form. His eyes were staring at my paws. It was enough to tell him who it was, since I was the only one with a ginger foot and three white ones. As I neared him, I heard him say, "you did that on purpose, because of my father." Then, he took his last breath and left to join StarClan.

As my Clan mates gathered around him, my mind whirled. I couldn't believe what I had just done, all because of the anger and jealousy that built up over the last several moons. And to make it all the more worse, Bumblepaw knew who his murderer was.

I staggered with sudden realization as to why the situation felt so familiar. I had heard the elders tell a story about it once. It was about two toms fighting for a she-cat. And the ending to that story was a tragic one, which was why I didn't remember too clearly. I hated stories without happy endings, so I had tried to forget it.

_Now, I'm in one myself..._

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**A/N: **Hope you've enjoyed it. =) Review if you've got time. =) Thanks for the support, all! ^^


	5. Friends Forever (Snowstripe, Friendship)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: Snowstripe, a ThunderClan warrior, has been sneaking out of camp every so often when night falls. Where is he going? And why is he even sneaking out in the first place?

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thank you, Foxy and Silver for the awesome reviews! ^^

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**Friends Forever**

Nightfall has blanketed the world with a veil of darkness. It wasn't the choking and frightening type of darkness, but rather the soothing and comforting type. The calm wind moved silently through the quiet ThunderClan camp as if caressing all of us with its gentleness. The night sounds lulled everyone to sleep.

Night time signaled the end of the day when almost everyone can retire to their dens and rest until dawn wakes us up, but for me, it was the beginning of an adventure ever since that incident. I had been hunting near the Twoleg nests with my patrol, since we hadn't hunted there in a while. However, as I stalked my prey closer and closer to the Twoleg nest, I wasn't aware that there was a huge hole in one of the fences. I gave a final pounce and nipped my prey in the neck, which killed it at once.

Then, out of nowhere, a dog started barking and crashed through the hole in the fence. It's wild eyes were locked right on me. I had seen dogs before and even chased some out of ThunderClan territory, but this one was so much bigger than any dog I've ever encountered. I couldn't help but stare at it in terror. I could hear my Clan mates yowling for me to run away, but I was frozen to the spot. I couldn't seem to even pick up my paws.

As it charged up at me, one of the warriors on my patrol attacked him. That movement snapped me out of my state and warrior training kicked in. I unsheathed my claws and confronted the dog along with the rest of my patrol. However, with one swipe, the dog's humongous paws scratched several warriors at once and knocked them over. I could feel that something was staring at me, so I turned around and caught Redwing's bright blue eyes. He flicked his tail and I knew what he was trying to tell me. After all, we were brothers and had found several ways to efficiently coordinate our attacks.

"You know, it's easier just to claw the dog on its nose," a sweet voice called out to us from the top of the fence as we were just about to launch our coordinated attack. The voice came from a white she-cat with blue eyes. She was a little plump and looked relaxed on the fence. Definitely, a kittypet.

"That's the most mouse brained suggestion that I've heard," Redwing said to the kittypet and nodded at me. I nodded back and we both launched our attack at the dog. After several attempts from us and the others on the hunting patrol, we grew more and more tired, but the dog seemed to be enjoying the fun.

"Leafpaw, run back to camp for reinforcements," Willowflight, another warrior of the hunting patrol commanded. Leafpaw looked crestfallen at being ordered to leave the fight, but ran off quickly. Now we just had to hold out until the reinforcements came. Running wasn't an option, since we would just be leading the dog further and further into our territory and who knows how much prey it's going to scare or how much damage it'll do to our territory.

I surveyed the warriors around me. Many had deep gashes and scratches across their shoulders and body. They all looked so tired. The dog, on the other paw, only had a small scratch on the side.

"I told you, hit it on the nose. It's Twoleg trained him that way," the white kittypet said again. It still sounded like the most mouse brained suggestion anyone could make, but we tried it anyways. We were that desperate. I ran up to the dog and gave him a hard swipe on the nose. I jumped back quickly in case it decided to attack me.

However, that precaution was unnecessary as the dog instantly started whimpering and ran back towards the hole in the fence. The rest of the patrol blinked. We were all surprised that it worked.

"Thanks, kittypet," Redwing said. "But next time, don't interrupt in Clan business." He then turned and went to pick up the prey that he caught before heading back to camp. The rest of the patrol followed suit.

"Don't mind him, kittypet," I said, apologetically after they all left. "You just hurt his pride, that's all. We were trained out here to be tough and he couldn't bear a kittypet witnessing such a defeat without your help." The white kittypet rolled her eyes.

"Name's Opal," she said, licking her paw. "I heard of you forest cats, living your lives in the wild and being the toughest around the place. But sometimes, us kittypets know more when it comes to subjects that regard Twolegs."

"Snowstripe," I told her and nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"I see where your name came from. White like snow with black stripes on your back," Opal purred. I winked at her.

"Well, I gotta head on back, but perhaps we'll cross paths again," I informed her.

"Perhaps," she replied. I turned around and padded to where I buried my fresh kill.

Ever since then, I snuck out of camp every couple days under the veil of darkness and hoped to see Opal sitting outside on her fence. Most of the time, she'd be waiting for me, but sometimes she was shut inside by her Twoleg.

Tonight, I was going to sneak out of camp again to share another adventure to her. I had hoped that one day, I could convince her to leave her kittypet life behind and become a member of ThunderClan. She was smart enough and could learn the ways of our life here in the forest.

I checked to see if every cat in the den were asleep before very stealthily head towards the dirtplace tunnel. There was a small opening that I could get out by. From there, I'd make my way towards the Twoleg nests.

Upon arriving, I could see Opal sitting on the fence. I jumped up and sat next to her. "Hey, Opal!" I said.

"Hey, Snowstripe! Haven't seen you in a while. All well in ThunderClan?" she asked me. "You look a bit skinny."

"It's almost leaf bare, so the prey are hiding more and more now. We don't get to eat as much now," I told her. I stroked her back with my fluffy white tail. She responded by twining her tail with mine. "So what do you want to do today?"

"Just sit here and enjoy your company for a little while," she told me as she leaned towards me. And so, we sat there quietly, enjoying the cool wind while it lasted. Leaf bare was almost here, which means she wouldn't be coming out anymore until new leaf arrived.

"Friends forever?" I whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, friends forever," she replied. I pressed close against her until the first streaks of dawn appeared. "See you soon, Snowstripe." I nodded and dashed off through the trees back towards camp.

_I'll see you when new leaf arrives._

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please review if you've got time. :P First time writing something that isn't somewhat tragic. xD


	6. Me and My Twin (Scarletfang, Drama)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: Her mother was a ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice, while her father is a RiverClan tom. Having parents that broke the Warrior Code to that extent, Scarletfang's birth was cursed. The rest of the Clan thinks she's crazy, but that doesn't stop her from being one of the most lethal cat of her Clan.

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thank you, Foxy, Gone, Guest (=O), and WildCroconaw for the awesome reviews! They make my day! ^^

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**Me and My Twin**

I often hear them whispering behind my back. They think I can't hear them, but I'm always within earshot. My hearing is sharper than those of my ShadowClan Clan mates. It really was the only blessing that StarClan gave me. I could hunt well, because I can hear the prey better. I could fight well, because I can hear my enemies movements. Of course, I can still see and smell, but my sharper hearing was definitely an advantage. That is when I'm out in the field doing warrior duties.

But whenever I am in camp, my superior hearing is really a curse. I can hear all the gossip around the camp about me. They say that I'm crazy. They say I'm insane. They say that I don't belong here. And perhaps they are right, but I vowed that I'd prove them all wrong. I will learn everything about the past, the Warrior Code, all my Clan mates, and even the herbs.

My birth was highly irregular and totally went against the Warrior Code. Fangpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, was my mother. I have never met her, because she died giving birth to my sisters and me, but everyone says that I'm the exact image of her, a russet color she cat with dark green eyes and scarlet markings along my spine. My father was a RiverClan warrior tom by the name of Blackwhisker. I met him once or twice during Gatherings, but I've never spoke to him. I hate them both. Why couldn't they have controlled themselves better? If they had, then my sisters and I wouldn't have been born, which would have been a much better alternative, and Fangpaw would most likely still be alive.

It's not like I didn't want to live. I do, but my birth was cursed. My sisters never made it to this world. They were born dead. I was the only one that survived, but I was born with a multiple personality disorder, one that left me with two different personalities and the possible chances of memory impairment. Of course, I didn't figure that out until I was an apprentice. As a kit, my adopted mother blamed the personalities on playfulness and memory impairment on forgetfulness.

" Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" a pure white tom called. Behind me a sandy colored tom, Sandfur, padded out from the warriors den. He was the only one in the Clan that could fathom my disorder. I nodded in greeting and we both padded out together to hear what Whitestar had to say.

As all the cats gathered around, Whitestar began, "One of our patrols has smelled traces of a fox wandering around our territory. The scent is fresh and we were able to track it all the way to the Thunderpath, but we are not certain if the fox came from or left to go to ThunderClan. So I advise caution to all until the menace has been resolved. That is all," Whitestar reported and jumped down from the rock.

"What do you make of that information, Scarletfang?" Sandfur asked me as the clan dispersed.

"I'm not Scarletfang, I'm Fangpaw!" I told him, sweetly and calmly. I heard him give a small sigh, but continued anyway. "As for the information, I just hope the fox watches out. I'm coming after it!" I gave a little snarl to emphasize my seriousness.

"I'm sure the fox will be frightened of you and your vicious snarl," Sandfur replied and purred at the imitation, all the while leaning closer to me. I responded by resting my head on his shoulder. We sat like that for a little while, until his stomach started to growl. "And I'll help you scare that fox off with my stomach's loud growls!"

I lightly cuffed him on the ear. "I'm sure you will," I said dryly. "Let's go get something to eat. It's getting late."

"Wouldn't mind if we do," he told me and we padded towards the fresh kill pile. We picked up a plump rat and padded over to our usual spot to share the kill.

"This rat is the juiciest piece of prey I've ever had," I said and smacked my mouth loudly as if getting a better taste of it. I ripped another piece of rat off its body. It was kind of dry and stringy.

"Don't be so sarcastic all the time, Scarletfang," Sandfur criticized. After we finished eating, we settled down and started sharing tongues with each other. The rhythmic lapping of Sandfur's tongue started lulling me to sleep and I vaguely saw Firefang, the orange tabby deputy, approach us.

"Good evening, Firefang," I heard Sandfur greet the deputy. It was quiet for a while, until I realized someone was shaking me. "Scarletfang, wake up!"

I blinked. "I'm Fangpaw," I mumbled. I opened my eyes that I hadn't realized were closed and saw Firefang peering at me.

"Scarletfang, you'll be joining the dawn patrol tomorrow and Sandfur will be leading it," he told me. I nodded and he padded away.

"Well, that was embarrassing," I said, sleepily. "Let's go get some sleep." We both got up and walked to our nests in the warrior's den. I instantly fell into a dreamless sleep with Sandfur curled up next to me.

All too soon, I was jolted awake by a screech. I perked my ears up and quickly got to my feet. I could see that I wasn't the only one that was woken up by that screech. Most of the warriors were already up or stirring.

"Foxes!" the screech came again and I detected the general area where the distress was coming from. I ran out of the warrior's den and searched the clearing for any foxes before heading over to the nursery.

Once there, I saw Dapplestorm swiping the fox at the entrance of the nursery while keeping her kits safe. I quickly launched an attack at the fox and it got distracted. It came after me instead. I swiped and dodged and swiped again. The fox let out a whine and the other red tailed intruder came and starting attacking me as well. I backed up and saw several warriors rushing to help me, but some stayed where they were as well, since there was yet another fox. Where did all these foxes come from? There usually only one or two at a time.

It was a good thing that my disorder kicked in at that time. I wasn't Fangpaw anymore. I was Scarletfang, one of the most lethal warriors in ShadowClan. I had learned all of my skills through my mentor, Firefang, and from all the stories that the elders told. They didn't think I could try and replicate the techniques from their descriptions, but I succeeded.

I clawed and ducked and swiped at the foxes. Sandfur had paired up with me and we were using our knowledge about each other's moves, strengths, and weaknesses. Together, we were unstoppable. I was quick and agile, while he had more power to his build. Finally, I was able to get under the fox's guard and slit the fox's throat.

The other fox that had taken on the other three warriors let out a loud whine when it saw its comrade fall. Then, it attacked Sandfur and me. We were able to kill this one rather swiftly since there were five of us attacking. I looked around the clearing and saw Whitestar kill the last remaining fox. Several of the warriors that were with him were severely injured and quickly moved towards Larkwing's den.

I wasn't injured, but I also padded over to help Larkwing with treating the injured warriors. I had learned quite a bit from her when I was an apprentice. I was training to be a warrior, but during my free time, I hung out with her to learn some of the easier treatments, such as stopping blood and cleaning wounds, but also more tricky ones, such as treating sores and pains in the elder's joints. It was because of her that I was in the elder's den so much. I didn't resent it, because I took the opportunity to learn as much from them about the other members of the Clan and the past, when I wasn't Fangpaw, of course.

Now, I used those skills and moved into the medicine den to get some of the cobwebs and herbs. Larkwing acknowledged me with a flick of her tail. She trusted me enough to let me touch her herb store. After getting the materials I needed, I padded out and started treating the wounds, starting with Sandfur.

"Great job, Scarletfang," he said to me when I told him to lay down so I could inspect his wound. "I'm glad you didn't wake up as Fangpaw, or else the whole clan would have been in trouble."

"Thanks, Sandfur. You fought well too," I purred at him. "We got lucky this time around."

_But what about next time? I couldn't control my personality switches..._

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it. Please review and tell me what you think if you've got time. =)


	7. Dream the Impossible (Snowkit, Family)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: Two moons prior to his apprentice ceremony, Snowkit's littermate contracted a never seen before disease. After the medicine cat's failed attempts at treating it, Snowkit's new dream and goal is to cure his littermate. But will he have what it takes to even qualify as a medicine cat apprentice?

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thank you, Foxy and Lloinng for the awesome reviews! ^^

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**Dream the Impossible**

I was once again awaken by the seemingly never ending coughing and sneezing that was being produced by my littermate, Whitekit. Looking over to his little corner of the nursery, I could see him sprawled on his moss bedding, which was tinged slightly red with blood. He had gotten sick about two moons ago, just at the end of leaf bare, and he hasn't gotten any better.

When Whitekit had first started coughing, Dawnflight, our mother, was frantic as any queen would. But when Sweetlight, our brown furred medicine cat, came to investigate, she thought Whitekit had contracted whitecough. But as time passed and the treatment didn't work, Sweetlight delved deep into her knowledge and tried every combination of herbs to try and cure him. She even resorted to visiting the Moonstone to try and ask our StarClan ancestors. But when she came back with his tail drooping, we knew that StarClan didn't know either.

After a moon and a half and there were still no cure, Dawnflight had given up on Whitekit. She believed that after that long of a time, Whitekit would never recover from this unknown disease. And that was when I decided I wanted to help Sweetlight find a cure. I would make him feel wanted and care for him to the best of my abilities.

Getting out of my nest, I stretched each limb out and picked up the piece of moss lying a couple mouse lengths away from Whitekit. It was the only way we could get him water to drink, since Dawnflight turned her back on him. I trotted out of the den and moved towards Sweetlight's den.

"Good morning, Snowkit," Sweetlight greeted me. "Almost time for the apprentice ceremony, isn't it?" I continued to move towards the little puddle of water and dropped the moss inside. Moons ago, when Blueleaf was still the medicine cat, she had figured out a way to collect rain water, so that we would constantly have water inside the camp, which makes it easier for kits and elders to get a drink. It was also handy to have around when treating wounds.

"Yeah, it should be any day now," I said, smiling. "I can't wait to get started. You've taught me some of the basic stuff, but I want to know more. And that leads me to being one step closer to accomplishing my dream. "

"You'll become a fine medicine cat, Snowkit," Sweetlight encouraged me. "I might have to retire to the elder's den early." I let out a mrrrow of amusement. Sweetlight had only became a medicine cat about five moons ago. She was still very young and had many more moons in her as our medicine cat.

"Your Clan will always need you, Sweetlight," I replied. "I hear the elders say you are one of the best medicine cats in the history of ShadowClan."

"Is that what they say about me?" Sweetlight said, purring.

"Do you think Morningstar will make Whitekit an apprentice and give him a mentor?" I asked, suddenly switching the topic. The moss was already thoroughly soaked and I had to return to the nursery soon.

"That I'm not sure of. It's up to Morningstar. But to be honest, I don't think Whitekit will be able to handle all the apprentice and warrior duties," Sweetlight told me, bluntly. Sweetlight was brutally honest and believe in lying to someone to make them feel better. I guess it comes with her being a medicine cat.

"But, surely, Morningstar will give him a chance?" I prodded further. I wanted to know what she thought, since she's rarely ever wrong.

"Perhaps," Sweetlight responded, though I could detect that she thought the chances of that happening was very slim.

"Well, I should head back. Whitekit will be waking up soon," I said and picked up the moss. I exited the den while waving my tail in a farewell gesture and trotted across the clearing, back towards the nursery.

Upon entering the nursery, Dawnflight quickly came to the entrance and greeted me. I waved my tail in acknowledgement and moved over to Whitekit, who was watching me with an envious expression on his face. With a pang of sadness, I realized that he was aching for Dawnflight to notice him and care for him again. I dropped the wet moss in front of him. "Hey, Whitekit! I got some water for you!" I said.

"Thanks, Snowkit," he said as he settled down on his moss yet again. He coughed a couple times and I looked at him in concern.

"Me and Sweetlight will find a cure for you, Whitekit, just you wait!" I whispered in his ear. After I finished whispering to him, Dawnflight picked me up by the scruff, carried me to an open area in the nursery, and started to vigorously grooming me. "What's the big idea?"

"Morningstar informed me that your apprentice ceremony is today while you were at Sweetlight's den," Dawnflight informed me. I couldn't' help feeling excited for my ceremony. It's finally here! But then I caught Whitekit's eyes. He had obviously overheard our conversation.

"What about Whitekit?" I asked. "He's old enough to be an apprentice as well!"

"He'll become an apprentice as well," Dawnflight told me. "Morningstar decided to give him a chance, though in my opinion, his chances of actually becoming a warrior is slim." I looked over at Whitekit. He had been happy that he could become an apprentice, but my mother's own opinion left him crestfallen.

"Why do you hate him so much?" I asked her, harshly. "It's not like it's his fault for contracting the disease!" After the question came out, I realized that the answer was perhaps not in Whitekit's favor and he didn't need any more pessimism from Dawnflight to ruin his day. "Actually don't answer that now."

After Dawnflight finished grooming me, she padded over to Whitekit and started grooming him. I could see that Whitekit was startled, but let out a purr at feeling his mother's tongue lap against his fur again.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Clanrock for a clan meeting!" Morningstar's yowl could be heard from the nursery.

Together, Dawnflight, Whitekit, and me emerged from the nursery and found a seat close to the Clanrock. I tried to not let my excitement show, but I am sure I didn't conceal it really well. Whitekit seemed to be doing in the same.

Once everyone gathered around the den, Morningstar began, "New leaf is here and there isn't a better time to start training new apprentices to help with warriors duties in the upcoming moons. Whitekit come here." There was a startled gasp from some of the warriors gathered around. Whitekit walked proudly up to the front. "From this day on, until you have earned your warrior name, you will be known as Whitepaw. Shadowpelt, you are ready for another apprentice. You have proven your loyalty and compassion many times over and I hope you pass all your knowledge to Whitepaw." Shadowpelt stepped forward, unenthusiastically, and touched noses with Whitepaw. After Shadowpelt and Whitepaw moved towards the side, Morningstar flicked her tail.

"Cats of ShadowClan, even though I am still have many moons in me, I am happy to announce that I have found myself an apprentice that is dedicated to treating and healing. Snowpaw will be my new apprentice," Sweetlight said from her spot close to the Clanrock. I got up and touched noses with her. "During half moon, we will travel to the Moonstone and present you before the medicine cats of StarClan to be accepted."

"Whitepaw! Snowpaw! Whitepaw! Snowpaw!" the rest of the Clan chanted our new names.

_Finally, I am one step closer to achieving my dream!_

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**A/N:** Hope you've enjoyed it. ^^ Please tell me what you think if you have time. :D


	8. Secret Love (Lilypaw, Romance)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: One tom likes her and he's in her Clan, but Lilypaw hasn't acknowledged him for a moon. She has been secretly seeing another tom, one that isn't from her Clan. But when her littermate decides to intervene, how will Lilypaw handle both toms at the same time?

**Idea given to me by SecretClan. Enjoy! xD**

Thank you, Foxy, for the awesome reviews and the support! ^^

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**Secret Love**

"You know Skypaw has been staring at you with a dreamy expression at every chance he's got," my littermate, Ivypaw, whispered in my ear. We had just returned from a hunting patrol and were sharing a rabbit that I caught on the moor. I looked up from the rabbit and searched the clearing for the light gray and white tom. But when I found him, he was ripping into his prey and eating it in a couple of gulps. Clearly, he didn't want me to catch him staring.

"He's a mouse brain," I whispered to Ivypaw and returned to my meal. "He's just jealous that he can't go to the Gathering tonight."

"You don't really think that, Lilypaw," she said to me. "He's been staring at you like that for the past moon whenever he can. Surely, you must have noticed."

"Nope, maybe he was staring at you. We are together all the time," I said, unconvincingly. Ivypaw glared at me. The truth was, I had noticed, but I didn't know what I would say to him. I wasn't even friends with him. Sure, we've trained together before and we've talked a little, but it wasn't enough for me to really understand and know him. And plus, I had a secret, one that I couldn't tell anyone. Maybe I should hang around him, just in case.

"Whatever you say," Ivypaw said and finished the last scraps of the rabbit. We sat together and shared tongues for a while, until a yowl interrupted us.

"Time to go," I told her and got to my paws. Together we trotted across the clearing and towards the camp entrance. Once we were all gathered, Rainstar gave a yowl and pelted out of the entrance. The rest of us thundered after him, racing through the moorland quickly until we approached Fourtrees.

I tasted the air and smelled ShadowClan and ThunderClan already there and mingling with each other. We joined in. Ivypaw padded towards a cluster of ThunderClan apprentices, while I searched for the scent that had become so familiar to me the past couple moons. As I weaved through the cats, I finally found him, the most handsome dark ginger tom with beautiful yellow eyes I have ever seen. He was smart and kind, everything I had dreamt what my mate would be.

We had first met six moons ago at my first Gathering when I had just became an apprentice. I was afraid at first, since there were so many nursery tales about how evil ShadowClan cats were, so I avoided him at that Gathering even though I felt attracted to him. After returning to camp that day, I vowed that the next time I see him at a Gathering, I would make contact and say hello.

Luckily the next Gathering I went to, he was there as well. I said hi to him and he acknowledged my presence very shyly. After that Gathering had been over, he had asked me if I wanted to meet him by the tunnel that connects WindClan and ShadowClan territory. On an impulse, I had agreed and since then, we've been meeting each other under the cover of darkness. No one knew we were seeing each other and no one could know, for our relationship was highly unconventional and totally against the Warrior Code. It was our little secret.

"Hey, Lilypaw," I heard his voice call softly out to me and interrupted my thoughts. "How's the prey running in WindClan?"

"Fine," I replied, purring. "I'm so glad that you're here today, Redpaw!" I quickly gave him a lick on the ear. I was getting ready to twine my tail with his when I remembered there could be other cats watching and that they would notice something was going on between us.

"Likewise," he said, happily. "For once we can meet without keeping watch for intruders, like the day when we met." I nodded and leaned in close to him and he pressed back. At that moment, RiverClan scent wafted over the clearing. RiverClan had arrived and the Gathering began.

There weren't any time for us to talk anymore and we moved apart, but I could still feel his warmth next to me all throughout the meeting. The Gathering seemed to be over in a flash and we were once again getting ready to depart. "Meet me by the tunnel tomorrow night," Redpaw whispered in my ear before going to join the ShadowClan leader.

I padded towards the WindClan patrol. Ivypaw was already there, but when I met her eyes, I could see that there were lots of questions in that gaze. She must have noticed something between me and Redpaw. I tried to keep calm and not worry. Maybe she wanted to tell me something about the ThunderClan apprentices that she talked to.

Once we returned to camp, I dashed into the apprentice's den and settled down in my nest to sleep. I had wanted to avoid Ivypaw, but I hadn't been fast enough. "Did you enjoy talking to Redpaw?" Ivypaw asked me.

"Yeah, he seems very nice," I responded. Nothing to worry about yet. She was just asking for my short conversation with him.

"I noticed that you two seem very close," Ivypaw told me. I froze. "Have you met him before today?"

"At our first Gathering, remember? You were there too," I said and relaxed. She nodded, remembering the incident.

"He is very handsome, isn't he?" Ivypaw asked me. "I wish I could talk to him too, but those ThunderClan apprentices wouldn't stop talking about how the Twolegs kept yowling so loud during the day that they scare off all the prey near that area."

"Indeed," I replied. Ivypaw settled down and closed her eyes. Relief washed through me, since she hadn't noticed anything else that would indicate that we were more than friends. That was too close. Maybe I should stop seeing him for a while, until this blows over.

I was woken up by a small prodding in my side and I opened my eyes to see Skypaw's bright blue eyes staring at me. "Come on, Lilypaw, Swiftclaw is going to be annoyed when he sees that you aren't ready for training!" Skypaw said and ran off to join his mentor, Breezefur. I shook my head clear and stretched. Ivypaw was already up and giving herself a quick groom before heading out.

The three of us and our mentors all padded out of camp and towards the training area. "You should go talk to him before we start training," Ivypaw suggested. "He's doing it again." I looked at Skypaw, who had fallen behind the two of us, but he was surveying the flat land around us. I slowed my pace and waited for Skypaw to catch up. Ivypaw gave me a nod and continued padding forward to let us have some privacy.

"Why do you always do that?" I demanded with a soft purr in my voice. "I know you've been watching me."

"It's not nice to stare, at least, when someone notices that you are staring," Skypaw answered in a voice that was shaking with embarrassment. I ran my tail down his back to calm him down.

"You could have just come and talk to me, you know. I won't bite," I told him, amusement glittering in my green eyes.

"I could, but you were always with your sister. You two are inseparable, you know that, yes?" Skypaw shot back.

"She's my best friend. Of course, I want to be around her as much as possible," I informed him. "But we can work something out, can't we?"

"Yeah, I guess, if you want to," Skypaw stated, tentatively.

"I wouldn't be opposed to try," I said. In my heart, though, I knew it would never work out. I loved Redpaw too much, but that relationship was forbidden and must remain a secret. My relationship with Skypaw, however, was not and we could see each other as much as we want as long as it doesn't interfere with apprentice duties. It would be my best chances for a cover up story if anything should happen.

"Awesome," Skypaw shouted with enthusiasm. And so, for the rest of the day, Skypaw and me got to know each other much better and did all my activities with him. Ivypaw kept her distance to let us bond, but I could see that she was happy that I finally talked to Skypaw and tried to work something out with him.

But as night time approached, anticipation was filling inside me. It was almost time for me to meet with Redpaw. I waited until Skypaw and Ivypaw were asleep, slinked out of camp, and ran towards the tunnel, where I knew Redpaw was waiting.

"Redpaw!" I shouted as I spotted him, sitting by the tunnel.

"You want to wake all the Clans up, do you?" Redpaw teased me. "We need to keep quiet now, don't you remember? No one can know that we are together."

"I know, Redpaw, but I wish we could tell everyone and meet any time we want," I whispered to him when I got closer. "I think someone in my Clan suspects that we are together."

"Who?" he asked while he twined his tail with mine and started licking my ear.

"I think we might need to be more inconspicuous during Gatherings, but I think our nightly visits once in a while is okay and will go unnoticed," I told him, ignoring his previous question. He didn't need to know who it was. "But it will probably be better if we space out the meetings more so that it'll be less noticeable."

"Lilypaw, you worry too much," Redpaw murmured to me. "We are good at covering our trails. We've gotten away with it for six moons now."

"Yes, but if we're found out, then what are we going to do then? It's against the Warrior Code. It's forbidden," I reminded him, not like he needed to be reminded.

"Lilypaw, I love you too much to let go of you. We'll work something out," Redpaw said, confidently.

_I sure hope so._

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading. ^^ Hope you liked it! =)


	9. Stones and Walls (Spottedheart, Comfort)

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the Warriors. Erin Hunter does.

**Summary**: Ever since she discovered the truth of her birth, Spottedheart had withdrawn within herself and vowed that no one would touch her heart again. But one tom wouldn't leave her alone and let the past be forgotten.

**Idea given to me by ImagineClan. Enjoy! xD**

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**Stones and Walls**

Retreat. It was the only solution to my problem. Ever since I discovered the truth about my birth, I had withdrawn inside myself and built a wall there. I wouldn't let anyone touch my heart ever again. All they do is hurt me with their cruel words. Maybe I should have died that day. It would have made everyone much happier, especially my foster mother.

She had blamed the death of her own kit on me, telling me that I was better off dead, since I wasn't even of ThunderClan blood. I remembered the shock and eventually it had led to despair. Her kit's death was an accident. A fox had invaded our territory and Stormpelt, the gray deputy tom, had led a patrol to chase it off. Her kit, me, and Cinderfur were the other three warriors on the patrol. When we got to the fox's den, it wasn't there.

We sniffed the area a couple times and Stormpelt had decided that they would follow its scent. Just when we were about to head off, the fox suddenly appeared and had jumped on the first target it saw. Dappleclaw, my foster mother's own kit. The next few moments went by in a blur as the rest of us yowled at the fox and engaged it in a fight. We were successful in chasing it out of our territory, but our victory was marred by the death of Dappleclaw.

When we got back to camp, chaos ensued and my foster mother accused me that I had a grudge against Dappleclaw and I wouldn't have wanted to save her. Stormpelt tried to tell her it wasn't my fault, but she ignored him and continued on to revealed to me who I was. I was born a rogue and as the Clan had been taught, rogues weren't to be trusted, rogues were enemies.

No wonder no one ever liked me when I was an innocent little she-kit. The only one who had come close to even support me was Blazestar, the young bright ginger tom with dark blue eyes, the one who had found me crying helplessly in the grass near the Twolegplace at the border of ThunderClan's territory, and Stormpelt, who knew what happened that day.

But when Blazestar came to comfort me that day, I pushed him away. No one else came to comfort me. They were all busy with Dappleclaw. And from that day on, I vowed that no one would ever touch my heart again.

"Spottedheart," I swiveled my ears as I heard my name being called. Mentally, I ran through all the duties that I was supposed to perform today and found that I had already finished them all. So why was there someone bothering me? No one ever talked to me if it wasn't necessary. As I was thinking this, the owner of that voice came up right in front of me, his ginger pelt blocking the view of anything else.

"Yes, Blazestar?" I asked, sullenly. "What did I do wrong now?" Blazestar twitched his whiskers in amusement.

"Lighten up, will you?" Blazestar mewed as he stared into my stony gray eyes. "I just wanted to hang out with you, like old times, you know?" Ever since I pushed him away that day, he had avoided me. But now, a moon later, he was talking about old times. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Those days are long over, Blazestar," I told him. "I don't want to 'hang out' with anybody." I tried to move away from him, back to my place of solitude, but he blocked my way. I turned in the other direction and he was in front of me again. Why did he have to be so fast?

"What happened to you?" Blazestar demanded. "You used to be so confident and happy with the world, no matter what anyone else said to you."

"You know what happened," I murmured. "I got overloaded." Something that looked like surprise seemed to flash through his eyes. Taking the chance when he was rooted to the ground, I dashed into the warrior's den and settled down to sleep.

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Over the next few days, Blazestar asked me how I was a couple times with concern evident in his eyes. I told him I was fine and then I would head out to perform my warrior duties. I thought nothing more of it as he just seemed polite, like a Clan leader should be. More time passed and things became normal again. It wasn't about half a moon later that I realized how wrong I was.

"Spottedheart, you're on dawn patrol today," Stormpelt informed me as he shook me awake. I opened my eyes and glared at him. When he realized that he didn't need to shake me anyway, he walked away. I quickly stretched and licked myself a couple of times, then emerged from the warrior's den. It seemed that I was the first one reporting for duty, since the usual gathering spot beside the gorse tunnel was empty.

"It's just you and me today," a gentle voice sounded behind me as I scented Blazestar's presence. "Ready to go?" I looked into his dark blue eyes, then looked at where Stormpelt was. There was no way that this was a coincidence. Dawn patrols usually consisted of more than two warriors, even if one of them was the leader. Stormpelt seemed to catch my eye and waved his tail in encouragement.

"I guess so, Blazestar," I said. "But don't we need more warriors?"

"Are you telling me what I'm supposed to do?" he asked playfully. "After all, I think during this time of peace, the two of us would be enough." I stared at him and wondered what was wrong with him. Danger could lurk anywhere at any moment.

"Let's go then," I mewed and the two of us ran side by side out of the gorse tunnel and up the ravine. Blazestar then took the lead and headed in the direction of Fourtrees.

"We'll patrol from here back to Sunningrocks and then back to camp," he informed me when we arrived at our border next to Fourtrees. I nodded and we continued on in silence. After a while, he started talking again. "It's going to be a nice day today, don't you think?" I shot him a glance.

"I guess," I said dully. I didn't really care for the weather. "Just get straight to the point, will you?"

"You're always so practical," Blazestar said, dryly. Then, he went to set a scent marker. When we continued on, he seemed to want to say something, but remained silent. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Spit it out, will you?" I told him, teasingly. I was shocked at myself. I hadn't teased anyone in a long time. Ever since that day. He turned his eyes on me as he noticed my change in tone.

"Is that how you address your Clan leader?" he mewed and then let out a mrrow of laughter. "That sounded more like the Spottedheart I knew." I flicked my ears in annoyance, but waited for him to say more. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry that day was so hard for you. I talked to Fireleaf after the horrible thing she said to you." Why was he trying to awaken old wounds? I shot him a glare.

"After that day, you changed so much," he continued on as we continued our patrol. "I wanted to say something to you, but I didn't know how. You had somehow flew out of my reach. So I waited." I took a deep breath as the past couple moons replayed itself in my head. "When I felt the Clan had calmed down enough, I tried to talk to you again. Remember?"

"Yeah," my voice hitched as I replied. "The day I told you I was overloaded." Blazestar nodded. I tried to think up of something rude to say, to push him away again, but I couldn't seem to find it within me. What was wrong with me?

"But you didn't seem to take notice over the next several days as we talked very briefly each day," Blazestar plowed on. "So, I thought that today would be a good day to try and really talk to you." He twitched his tail and looked at me. We had stopped in front of Sunningrocks.

"Well, I guess I'm listening," I said, my stony eyes started to clear, becoming the old tinge of bright gray. The next words he said completely shattered the wall I had built, made me break my vow to myself.

"I want you to come back from that land of misery, Spottedheart. I want the happy and confident one. You won't be alone anymore," Blazestar said, sincerely, looking right into my eyes. His tail curled around and rested on my shoulder. "I love you. I always had." The world turned upside down for me, my heartbeat quickened, and I felt myself searching his eyes for a clue that he just said it to make me feel better. But in his eyes, I could see that he meant it.

_Maybe life would turn out pretty okay._

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. ^^


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